Thesis Summary
By Jacque Verrall, nbct 2006
May 20, 2011
Play—A Waste of Time
Or is it???
The Importance of Choice Time in Kindergarten
My thesis set out to examine the status of Choice Time (Free Play) in the
kindergarten curriculum. In the quest for ever higher test scores, many administrators,
principals and teachers across the U.S. have decided that ‘play’ is a waste of time, time
that could be better spent on academics. Many kindergarten teachers have been asked to
eliminate any semblance of play from their classrooms.
My thesis examined how this has happened, why it happened and cites important
evidence for how early childhood professionals can restore Choice Time as a fully
recognized, essential part of every kindergarten program. It also makes a strong case for
the length of time necessary to achieve optimal results.
As I delved into all the research surrounding play in kindergarten, I found that
there are virtually no experts in Early Childhood that would agree with eliminating
Choice Time. Psychologists such as Vygotsky, Piaget, Montessori, Erickson, Dewey,
etc., all present solid evidence for how play promotes learning. The question became
then, why are all these experts ignored and play continues to be looked down upon,
misunderstood and reduced or eliminated from kindergarten classrooms?
I felt what was lacking, was perhaps the voices from those in the trenches, the
exemplary teachers who teach kindergarten and must live with various mandates for
increasing test scores. I set out to interview teachers across the U.S. and Canada which
proved to be a powerful element.
I also found that there is great confusion as to what constitutes Choice Time or
Free Play. Administrators, principals and even some teachers equate it with mass chaos,
and therein lies part of the problem. Kindergarten teachers need to become far more
articulate as to the benefits of Choice Time and be very specific about the learning
happening at this time. Choice Time can, and should, be a way of meeting many
kindergarten goals and standards.
In my Literature Review, I cited specific ways that the typical offerings
(housekeeping, playdough, sensory table, art, crayon melting, games, table toys, beads,
library, blocks, computers, and writing) at Choice Time can meet standards. I also give
specifics as to how this time builds community within the classroom (language
acquisition, critical thinking, and the larger community). I explored the current research,
what Early Childhood experts say, the short-term effects and long-term effects. I looked
at the social and political ramifications as well.
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Most impressive in my findings is new scientific research linking play as a
“central part of neurological growth and development—one important way that children
build complex, skilled, responsive, socially adept and cognitively flexible brains.”
(Henig, 2008) (p.6) Sergio Pellis, a neuroscientist at the University of Lethbridge in
Alberta, Canada, conducted research to see whether brain-damaged rats would display
abnormal play behavior. He found the “first direct evidence of a neurological effect of
play deprivation—a more immature pattern of neuronal connections in the medial
prefrontal cortex.” Pellis found that “Play is thought to be one of the environmental
influences that help in the pruning (selective elimination of excess cells, branchings and
connections that mammals are born with)—and this research showed, play deprivation
interferes with it.” (p. 5) Ongoing studies are looking at a preliminary correlation
between lack of play experiences and ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder).
The National Kindergarten Alliance cites the many ways play is beneficial for
kindergartners, including neurological, physical, social, intellectual and emotional
benefits. “All the processes involved in play such as repeating actions, making
connections, extending skills, combining materials and taking risks provide the essential
electrical impulses to help make connections and interconnections between neural
networks, thus extending children’s capabilities as learners, thinkers and
communicators.” (NKA, 2010) (p.1)
Another finding was that low-income children and those for whom English is
their second language—those that need the most support in school, showed no long-term
gains from programs where there is a heavy emphasis on scripted programs and little to
no play experiences. Indeed, these are the children who benefit the most from a Choice
Time that is at least 40-60 minutes long. (Almon, Miller, 2009)
My research shows that there are basically four types of classrooms: Laissezfaire, loosely structured classrooms; classrooms rich in child-initiated and child-directed
play; playful classrooms with focused learning; and didactic, highly structured
classrooms. Of these four, the middle two options provide optimal benefits to students.
And then I asked classroom teachers my six questions (see attached). Nineteen
teachers responded to my request for interviews or answering my questions via email.
Three are National Board Certified teachers. Teachers hailed from Washington state as
well as Idaho, Colorado, New Jersey, Iowa, Oregon, South Carolina, North Carolina and
Canada (Ontario and British Columbia). All were articulate, exemplary teachers who
offered me a wide cross-section of classroom situations. To protect their privacy, I gave
each teacher a number. Here is a sampling of their responses:
Questions #1 and #2 asked, “How have you determined your schedule and
what factors influence what you include and how much time for each?”
“The schedule basically has to go around lunches, recess, start/end times, specials
and prep times.”
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“At the end of the day, I have developmental free choice centers for about 15
minutes. Unfortunately, due to interruptions and the time taken by transitioning between
activities, there is rarely time for free choice centers at the end of the day.”
“Teaching in a half-day program makes providing Choice Time more of a
challenge, I believe in it so much that I have opted to give up some of my direct teaching
time to provide this important time for them every day—my students still do well on all
tests and I’m a low-income school with many ELL students.”
Question #3, “Tell me about a specific child, what did you notice about their
development throughout the year, if they struggled at first and what helped them.”
“As the year went on, I realized that I needed to do more playtime and have more
time for students to work as a group, not with a book, but with free play and having
choices, because this boy bonded with the other children and learned how to share and
how to figure out how to work together amicably and that carried over into his learning in
the morning.”
“Last year I had T., who had the most immature fine motor skills I’ve ever seen.
He had no idea how to even hold a pencil and avoided it if possible. He began to doctor
all the animals at Choice Time and chose to write out ‘prescriptions’ for them. His
writing skills improved because he chose to take a risk at this time.”
“I have a girl who is ELL. She was getting in all kinds of trouble until I decided
that she needed more time to be social with the group. I opted to give up some mandated
math time in order to provide more time for her to socialize with her peers. Her behavior
improved tremendously. She needed time first thing in the morning to get geared up for
speaking English (none spoken at home). I also made sure we have Choice Time in the
afternoon. That time to socialize is imperative for ELL.”
“I had a little guy who didn’t interact much with the other children. At Choice
Time, I found out he likes cars more than anything in the world. He’s interacting more
with others now and I’ve used cars as a way to engage him in writing. He recently wrote
a book about cars. I learned he really knows a lot about cars---I never would have known
this without Choice Time.”
“I have a boy, socially, he did not engage. At Choice Time, I spent time trying to
entice him to try different activities. First, he was alone, then he’d hold a book and steal
glances at other children. Then, he began to take his book and sit by other children. He
began to pick up a toy near them and play parallel. Finally, he started to make some
awkward, random single words to the other children, sitting next to them. He found one
other child who was quiet and accepting of his overtures and now it has just branched out
until he’s become very talkative. You really find out who they are at Choice Time
because you see what they play with and with whom and how they can initiate play or
join in play with others. Choice Time allows you to discover what possibilities for
connections might be out there.”
“J.—he had lots of speech issues. He was the youngest child in the classroom.
He fell asleep every day. He was low academically…knew only a few letters/sounds in
the beginning of the year. He couldn’t count past 13. I did lots of small group work with
him, also he was given help with our Title One teacher in small group. I believe in lots of
time to explore free choice centers. He LOVED the writing center, and spent lots of time
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there. He also loved blocks, was very social in the block area which was great for his
speech issues. Choice Time proved to be the catalyst for more learning.”
These responses are just small excerpts of the results from my nineteen
responding teachers. I urge you to go to my website and read the entire thesis
(http://teacher.edmonds.wednet.edu/maplewood/jverrall/index.php) as the responses to all
my questions are powerful proof that Choice Time is a vital component of excellent
kindergarten programs. Over and over teachers cited Choice Time as the catalyst for
learning in other areas or a time when children applied earlier learning to activities that
were meaningful to them.
The implications for our work are multiple and relatively simple. We must work
to make sure that all kindergarten classrooms provide a substantial amount of Choice
Time. A full 40-60 minutes each day is necessary in order to witness incredible learning.
This is not to be a free-for-all, chaotic time, but rather a carefully planned variety of
activities that provide for fine-motor skills, gross motor skills, self-regulation skills,
critical thinking, vocabulary, retelling stories, comprehension, writing, math, social skills,
and an important time for ELL students to practice English in a more ‘risk-free’
environment.
Providing the optimal kindergarten Choice Time experience is the foundation for
all other learning. Kindergarten is when we want to impart the message that learning is a
wonderful, exciting adventure. Professional development should center on helping
teachers to become more articulate about why Choice Time is important and how to plan
for the learning that occurs during this time.
When we provide children time to explore learning at their own pace, to use prior
learning in new, meaningful ways, we give them the gift of learning how to make their
own choices, become self-regulated, cognitively flexible and active participants in the
learning process. Intrinsic motivation for learning is nourished by Choice Time.
The following pages of artifacts, gathered from my classroom, may offer the best
evidence of how children will pursue their own learning if we adults simply provide the
materials, time and the space. Every one of these artifacts happened a good twenty
minutes into Choice Time, proof that students need time to get engaged in their learning,
time to be learning and time to bring their learning to a close.
A complete list of the questions I posed for teachers is included as well as my list
of references.
**Please Note: Although the Edmonds School District kindly granted me permission to
conduct my research within the district, the views stated in my thesis and summary are
mine alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of Edmonds School District.
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Here is Pieter’s order form he filled out in the ‘Pizzeria’…
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Blank recipe cards added to our Imagination Station when it was a kitchen
encouraged a great deal of writing….
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Solveig’s first page of writing in her “Kindergarten News” newspaper….an
activity initiated and carried out by her at Choice Time.
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Here is Rebecca’s first attempt to write during Choice Time. This is a typical way
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in which writing at Choice Time begins…with all your friends’ names, either collected or
written by the collector.
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Maisy spent time writing these numbers, brought it to me and announced that she had
“figured out how to count by two’s and wrote them down to forty…for you, Mrs.
Verrall!” Most kindergartners learn counting by 5’s and 10’s fairly easily, but counting
by two’s is much more challenging.
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Guiding Questions
Kindergarten Teachers—
1. How have you determined your schedule?
2. What factors influence what you include and how much time for each?
3. Tell me about a specific child (you don’t have to name the child). What
did you notice about their development throughout the school year? If
they struggled at first (academically, behaviorally, emotionally, socially,
etc.), what helped them?
4. Tell me about your philosophy of education and the socio/political
factors—How has this affected you and/or your program? (NCLB,
DIBELS, RTI, MTI, Reading First, AYP, etc.). Please be as specific as
you can.
5. Can you describe a child or group of children that benefited from an
activity you either provided structure/ideas/materials for or that were
child-initiated during your “Choice” or “Free Play” time? What made this
a successful or not-so-successful activity? Again, please be as specific
and descriptive as you can.
6. Please tell a little about your educational background and experience, i.e.,
do you have a BA in ____, MA in ____, National Board Certified in
____? How long have you taught kindergarten? Other grades? Parent as
well? Anything else you’d like me to know?
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